Monday 25 May 2015

Beyond Addiction: The Yogic Path to Recovery








Facebook asks: what have you been up to?
Well, I just came back from Owen Sound where I attended a 9-day immersion course for Beyond Addiction: The Yogic Path to Recovery.

This course was developed by Sat Dharam Kaur ND and Jivan Joti Kaur PhD and featured Dr. Gabor Mate.






I will post a full experience to come, but for today I will share a quote from Buddha's Dhammapada that is in the manual:

Mind creates the world;
What you see arises with your thoughts.
If you speak and act with a confused mind,
Trouble will follow you as certainly as a cart follows the ox that pulls it.


Mind creates the world;
What you see arises with your thoughts.
If you speak and act with a clear mind,
Happiness will follow you as certainly as your own shadow in sunlight.

"It's his fault." "She shouldn't have done that."
Believe such thoughts, and you live in resentment.

"It's his fault." "She shouldn't have done that."
Question such thoughts, and you live in freedom.

Anger teaches anger.
Fear results in more fear.
Only understanding can lead to peace.
This is the ancient law.

Tuesday 19 May 2015

Sprout Into Your Potential



Sprout
Into Your Potential
By Dr. Pete Douros, ND & 
Effie Mitskopoulos, MSW, RSW

What is smaller than a grain of rice and holds the potential to create and sustain life? Something that can sprout into a towering tree and live for thousands of years?

Mother Nature has provided us the gift of seeds, which are abundant with living energy and vitality. In order for nature’s magic to happen, a seed needs a supportive environment to grow and flourish. Given the right conditions its potential energy is unlocked and it buds and blossoms into something powerful! 

Similarly, we are like the seed. We have so much potential energy and vitality within us that’s waiting to be unlocked so we can grow and flourish. Each person’s journey to sprout into their best state of health has many dimensions and potential paths. Allow us to help guide you in figuring out your wellness goals, make a plan of your journey, and assist you on your journey to increased vitality. 

In a supportive, compassionate and comfortable environment explore your physical, mental-emotional and spiritual needs and collaborate on treatments that will help you feel better. We offer a wide variety of holistic treatments and healthy lifestyle coaching from Naturopathic treatments and counseling to yoga, energy work and more. 

We feel joy in seeing our clients flourish into their full potential and lead healthy and happy lives.  Find us near Dunlop St. West and Ferndale Dr. in Barrie.

Did you know that Naturopathic Treatments and Registered Social Work are covered by many Extended Health Benefit plans?
Dr. Pete Douros, ND, DHMHS, BBA (Hons)  
Happy to serve you: Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Applied Kinesiology and Koren Specific Technique
 www.awakenedheart.ca 705-881-7615
Effie Mitskopoulos, (Hons BSc), MSW, RSW, CHt, Reiki Master, CYT, R-KYT  
Happy to serve you: Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Reiki, Meditation, Mindfulness, Hatha and Kundalini Yoga www.soulbodyhealer.com 705-881-6028

Check it out!
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/another-view-magazine-barrie-spring-2015/0484800001431616006?short

Monday 11 May 2015

Healthy Sound- Peruvian Whistling Vessels

Come in sets of 4, 8, and 12
Archeologists have been finding these clay pots at burial sites and sacred places in the Andes for centuries, thinking that they were only 'amusing liquid containers'. Some of the oldest vessels have been dated from 500-300BC.

The ones pictured here were specially made for Dale, at WindSpirit in Orillia. They were made with clay that was blessed and incorporated her own positive intention and blessings. She graciously shared them with us so we could experience their healing power. But the magic happens when they are all whistling together. So we all took turns blowing into the vessels.

This one wanted me to play him!

Sound has been long associated with shifting consciousness and also bridging a connection to other realms. In many traditions, the breath is considered as life force energy. Using my life force energy, I took a big breath, and started to blow, long, steady and rhythmically into the spout.  Interestingly, the sound comes out through a hole that is at the level of your 6th Chakra (Third Eye), the seat of intuition and higher vision. The sound vibrates the eardrums, sends nerve impulses to the brain, which the brain decodes, energy shifts, consciousness shifts, and one has an experience!

For me, I could feel an immediate calming effect, as happens when one centers in on the breath. But it was much more than becoming calm. I could hear different waves and pitches, the sounds felt like they were coming from inside my head. Only in my right ear did I hear sounds that seemed like something was trying to communicate with me. I focused on my breath and my own positive intention, when an immense clarity was brought to my attention. It was so powerful that a tear came to my eye. I felt this authentic vision of myself, about my purpose.  Thank you Dale for sharing your sacred vessels and thank you to the vessels for this incredible experience!





Monday 4 May 2015

Plants for Well-being

I repotted my Golden Pothos so it can grow long tendrils so I can spread the vines along my meditation room wall.

I find working with plants very therapeutic. All we have to do to is give them love, water and put them in an appropriate location and they happily clean our air and give us life sustaining oxygen! And when they flourish you can honour a sense of accomplishment and feeling that you are a loving and nurturing being.

Plants are so nurturing in fact, that they will lower your cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure so you feel a sense of calm and tranquility. Even looking out the window at a tree has this effect!



Why is composting important?


I set up our compost bin today, but why is composting important? 




-reduces the amount of waste we send to the landfill (so we don't 
  live in garbage city)
-returns nutrients to the land, garden, lawn, and soil (compost 
 contains more nutrients than peat moss!)
-helps mother earth stay healthy so we can stay healthy!